Tarp recommendations for high winds?

**hangNyak** · 12-29-2015, 23:13

I have a diy tarp made from polyurethane, that withstood a night of 40mph gusts in the Linville Gorge. It was my first tarp and is twice the weight of a silnylon tarp, but it's pretty tough. It's 11'x10' and I think it weighs about 27oz. As was stated above, though, I'm not sure if there is any material capable of withstanding continuous 60mph winds. That's tropical storm weather and I don't tend to camp in that, on purpose.

**Erayd** · 12-29-2015, 23:20

Originally Posted by Flatliner

I'm not being a smart Alec, I am genuinely curious, what attraction or responsibility makes you want to camp somewhere with those conditions.

That kind of wind / rain is fairly common in the area where I live (particularly in spring), and I enjoy coastal tracks. So I wanted to do some multi-day coastal hikes, and sort out gear that would let me do it year-round, and keep me safe if I get caught out. The weather can change very fast here, and doesn't always match the long range forecast.

By the sounds of what people are saying, what I'm asking for may not be feasible, and I might be better to head away from my local area if I want coastal hiking with a chance of my gear surviving...

**SilvrSurfr** · 12-29-2015, 23:31

I live in a coastal area, and there are times I won't hang my tarp in the back yard. My tarp can take 20, 30 or 40 mph gusts, but 60 mph just isn't in the cards.

**1wetpaint** · 01-01-2016, 22:25

Check out Jacks R Better.
Pretty good stuff.
70Mph may be a stretch...

**Flatliner** · 01-02-2016, 10:28

Curiosity question, would more and closer together ground stake points do the trick?

**WaffleBox** · 01-02-2016, 10:54

As far as fabrics go, you could give HyperD 300 or HEX70XL from Ripstop by the Roll a shot. They are heavy as all getout but highly waterproof and super tough. Whether they would stand up to winds that high or not I couldn't say. The HEX70XL would probably make for the better balance of sturdiness and weight.

As far as the pole mod recommendation Brian made, take a look at this thread, post #9:

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...highlight=pole

You basically take tent poles with length equal to the width of your tarp and put them inside your tarp. It provides a great deal of structure to the tarp (and a lot more room to move around, which could be a big bonus if you are going to be stuck under there for an extended time). That would probably help with heavy winds too. You can get lightweight, high quality poles of custom length from FibraPlex, though they will take several weeks to arrive.

I'd also advise pitching the tarp as low to the ground as you can, so as to get less wind and rain coming in from underneath. Having less wind blow inside should help the tarp stay pitched better. That may be another reason to go with the HEX70XL - it's a little wider (67" compared to 60") so you can pitch it low and not have to stoop over as much underneath it.

**Monkeyboy42** · 01-02-2016, 11:51

Hrm... This is when I suggest something that makes me shudder. Ground dwelling. The pyramid tents out now are actually designed to handle high wind speeds I believe. For a hammock tarp in an a frame setup you're always going to have some part that isn't efficiently deflecting the wind when set up in an exposed site.

For material I'm guessing a heavier weight ripstop polyurethane nylon would give the most strength vs weight. A winter tarp design with doors battened down and set up into the wind would probably give smallest profile.

Good luck!

**Rolloff** · 01-02-2016, 13:08

Not sure any tarp one could pack for much distance will work under these conditions. A "Storm" sock might be the only choice, but like others, I'd be more worried about losing an anchor point, as in one or more of the trees in the general area having the potential to blow over. Even if a tarp is holdiing fast under such conditions, air borne debris could probably change that in an instant. Dangerous situation. Time to get to cover, not covered up.

**Codiak** · 01-03-2016, 01:58

Silpoly is a strong fabric or as waffle box suggested something even heavier.
You might try on effects the cottage vendors if they be willing to use a fabric of your choice and reinforce everything. I like my he winter shelter from simply light designs,, and it's been in 40 mph wet weather just fine.... silpoly

**Mando J** · 01-04-2016, 10:12

Just saw this thread. See post I just put up about my recent experience with my new Wilderness Logics Tadpole tarp. I don't think we got quite 60 mph winds. I don't know. Felt like a 100 but I guessed probably only 30 to 40 mph sustained winds. Some gusts may have come close to 60. Tarp held great!